Grille



GRILLE.

Patented Mar. 27, 1894.

0. WMM

' @Sigg NiTEn STATES 'PATENT EETCE.

RASMUS T. BERTELSEN, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GRILLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 517,207, dated March 2*?, 1894.

Application filed .Tanuary 4, 1894. Serial No. 495.643. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, RAsMUs T. BEETELsEN,

ot Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grilles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. This invention relates to an improvement in grilles or ornamental gratings such as are commonly applied to upper parts of door and window openings or other similar places in houses.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims.

Grilles of that kind adapted to extend across the entire width ot' the doorway or opening have commonly heretofore been made in one piece constructed of proper length to accurately fit the opening, the grilles being tted at their margins within the openings so as to abut at their edges against the side and top surfaces of the same. Grilles thus made have not commonly been manufactured and sold as an article of commerce for the reason that the Width of the openings to which they are applied are seldom the same or they vary to an extent so great as to prevent the grilles being made in standard sizes and cut o or trimmed to fit the openings. As a consequence such grilles have usually been made to measurement so that each will fit the opening for which it is designed, thereby requiring in effect a new designl or the adaptation ot' an old design to each grille with a corresponding increase of cost by reason of the special labor required in making each article.

The object of this invention is to provide a grille which will be adjustable to openings of various Widths within certain limits, so that by carrying in stock a number of sizes a dealer may supply his customers with grilles which will practically fit all doorways or openings.

A grille embodying my invention consists of two, three or more parts which are separately attached in place Within the opening so as to give the appearance of a single grille, said parts being made of any ornamental shape desired and being connected where they join by horizontally arranged filling pieces or sections which may be shortened or lengthened to fill the spaces between the main sections of the grille and thus give an appearance of continuity to the same. The filling pieces or sections of variable length are herein shown as formed by means of rodsor dowelpins inserted at their ends within the adjacent edges of the grille sections and provided with one or more buttons or spools of ornamental form placed or strung thereon so as to iill or approximately ill the spaces between the grille sections, the number of these buttons or spools being varied to correspond with the distance apart at which the adjacent margins of the sections stand when the grille is in place in the doorway. The rods or dowelpins are constructed to slide in guide apertures in one or both of the grille sections so that in placing the grille sections in the opening said rods and dowel-pins will be selfadjusting and no labor or manipulation will be required in putting the parts of the grille together except to 'place or string on the rods or dowel-pins a number of buttons or spools suiiicient to fill the spaces between the grille sections.

The invention may be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a view in side elevation of a grille embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail View, with parts 'in section, of an adjustable section adapted to be placed between two of the grille sections. a view showing two ofthe grille sections separated from each other to a greater extent than illustated in Fig. l and showing additional connecting sections which may be employed under these circumstances. Fig. 4. is a detail sectional View of a rod or dowel-pin, showing buttons or spools of dierent forms.

The grille illustrated in the accompanying drawings consists of three pieces or main sections, to wit, two end pieces A A which iit within the corners of the doorway or other opening, and an intermediate section B which is placed between the sections A A when the grille is placed in position Within the opening. The grille sections A A are provided with upright and horizontal marginal pieces or strips Fig. 3 is IOS a a which come in contact with the vertical and top walls of the opening, and the intermediate section B is provided at its upper edge with asimilar' continuous marginal strip 5 b. The continuous marginal pieces or strips a a b are commonly present on all grilles of this character, the same constituting in effect a framework to sustain the inner or ornamental parts of the grille or grating and affordio ing a means for attaching the same within the opening which the grille is intended to till.

When the grille is inade in sections, as described, the horizontal marginal pieces or strips a b of the end and intermediate sections are obviously discontinuous and when the sections are separated to a greater or less extent so that they may tit the doorway in which they are placed, spaces of greater or less width will be left between the adjacent zo ends of said strips. To give an appearance of continuity to the strips, however, I provide horizontal rods or dowel-pins C C which are inserted at their ends in horizontal guide apertures placed opposite each other, and I place on said rods or dowel-pins one or more balls, buttons or ornamental spools D D, the same being made relatively narrow so that they may either solidly till that part of the dowel-pin which is exposed between the grille 3o sections or may be placed at equidistant or other points thereon so as to produce an orua nientaleffect orgive the appearance of atu rn ed spindle interposed between the parts and intended for ornament. Commonly buttons 3 5 will be used which are relatively narrow so that they will approximately till the space between the grille sections and thus afford a connecting section of sufiioient size to give the effect of continuity to the marginal strip 4o of the grille.

` At one or more points along the adjacent edges of the grille sections I place other similar connecting sections; as for instance, in Fig. l a similar dowel-pin C is placed near the lower margin of the grille and is provided with similar balls or buttons D D.

The number of connecting sections such as is described which will be employed on the grille will depend on the particular character 5o of the ornamentation, as for instance in the grille shown in Fig. l the intermediate ornamental scrolls between the two connecting sections at the top and bottom of the grille are of such character that they may be brought 5 5 close together, as shown in said figure, or separated to some extent without removing or affecting the ornamental character or appearance of the grille. It', however, the sections are more widely separated other connecting 6o sections may be inserted, even though the same are not necessary or desirable where the separation of the main sections is not so great as for instance in Fig. 3 are shown the adjacent ends of grille sections, like those shown in Fig. l, more widely separated and having a greater number of buttons or balls on the upper and lower dowel-pins C C. In this instance also the opposite intermediate loops a3 b3 of the scroll ornaments are connected by additional dowel-pins C C similarly provided with balls or buttons D D.

The horizontal rods or dowel-pins described may be constructed in any suitable manner and may be secured in one ot' the grille sections or made to slide freely in both, as desired. As shown in Fig. 2 the dowel-pin() 1s made of wood and is provided with an integral ball or button c resembling in appearance the loose balls or buttons D D which are placed thereon. In this instance the dowelpin is driven into one of the sections until the ball c thereof comes in contact with the edge of the section while the opposite end ot the dowel-pin is left free to slide within the guide aperture of the opposite or adjacent section.

As shown in Fig. 4 the rod or dowel-pin C consists of a metal rod or wire inserted in opposite guide apertures in the grille sections. In this instance the rod C is provided witlra central ornamental spool with two plain spools or sleeves d d at opposite sides thereof and two fiat buttons d2 dia between the said spools and the adjacent margins of the grille sections. Said Fig. 4C illustrates clearly the variety of form which the balls or buttons may be given in order to secure the result desired, to wit, the appearance of continuity or integrality while affording longitudinal adj ustment of the entire grille within reasonable limits.

It is obvious from the above that the adjustable connecting sections referred to by which the effect of continuity is given to the main sections consist of a plurality ot' relatively narrow pieces or elements, as for 1nstance, the balls or spools D D, of which a greater or less number may be used and which are properly supported between the grille scctions, as for instance by the dowel-pin orrod C, and I do not, therefore desire to be limited to the special form of the connecting sections illustrated.

Where the grille-sections are so slightly separated that one ball or button only is needed to fill the space between them, the same may consist of an apertured ball placed centrally on the dowel pin between the sec tions, or it may be a ball or projection made integral with the dowel pin, such as is seen in Fig. 2. When balls are used which are placed on the dowel pin or rod with spaces between them, the said dowel pin will obviously be exposed between the buttons and will thus form a visible part of the connecting section, but when the space is such that the number of buttons or balls which may be placed between the sections will be such as to practically till the said space, then the dowel pin or rod will be practically invisible and its main function then will be to form a sup port for the balls or buttons.

The particular construction herein illustrated, wherein a round rod or dowel-pin is IOO IIO

vangeo'r inserted in opposite holes in the grille sections, and turned buttons or spools provided with central apertures are placed on said rod or dowel-pin, is, however, of special value and utility by reason of its simplicity, cheapness and effectiveness for the purpose intended, and a construction of this kind is therefore herein specifically claimed as part of my invention.Y

I claim as my invention- 1. A grille consisting of aplurality of main .sections separated from each other and adapted to be placed within a doorway 0r other opening, and connecting sections comprising one or more small pieces or elements, such as the spools or buttonsD D, and means for supporting said small parts or elements in 

